Peace and Quiet
by thelyokocode
Summary: Dipper's nose has been buried in the journal ever since he found out there was invisible ink messaged on almost every page! He just needs a calm place to read each piece of new information. Wendip fluff!
1. Chapter 1

**Thanks for giving this a read, enjoy!**

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Rays of orange sunlight were beaming through a window, casting a the shadow of the tips of pine trees onto a wooden musty, and slightly dusty, atmosphere of an Oregonian tourist trap was quite serene.

The day was coming to an end and the last few tourists who were still browsing the attraction's gift shop were making their selections and handing their banknotes to a redhead manning the shadow laden wooden counter.

She took the notes with a trained retail smirk, pressing a button on the nearby cash register. A pleasing "ding!" came from the machine, a drawer full of the day's accrued income slid open; the redhead cashier placing the tourist's money into it and closing it back up with a polite "Come back soon!" as she ended every transaction at the museum of weirdness, Gravity Falls' own Mystery Shack.

The ginger stretched her slightly sore arms, her back popping once or twice after sitting on the same stool for the last couple hours, deciding to get up and shake some of the stiffness out of her body.

She walked slowly through the gift shop, stopping as she saw her own reflection in a window, giving herself a quick look over. Her hair was long, going halfway down her back, a trapper hat topping her crown.

Freckles be-speckled her cheeks and nose. Her emerald green eyes traveled down to her attire, a green and black plaid flannel shirt and a white tank top underneath. She spotted a name tag pinned with the name "Wendy" on the right of her shirt.

The redhead rolled her eyes at the formality, which her boss had suddenly sprung onto her the same day, recalling that he read somewhere that "name tags make customers happy, and happy customers spend more money!" Wendy giggled quietly to herself, continuing her walk through the gift shop.

She came to another stop as her saunter had led her out of the gift shop and at the foot of a staircase leading up into the higher floors of the Mystery Shack. Her mind quickly went to the two young twins living up there.

A dorky, hyper, sweater-wearing, and lover-of-knitting Mabel Pines and a smart, sweaty, noodle-limbed, equally as dorky Dipper Pines.

A warm smile formed on the redhead's face as she remembered the times the twins had spent together over their summer break in Gravity Falls, her smile widening as she realized that it was only half over, plenty of time to hang out with her favorite pair of dweebs.

Wendy stuck her head into the next room; a living room out of the way of the rest of the museum. A TV sat at one side of the room, currently off, while on the other side sat a old mustard-yellow recliner that her boss frequently was after closing time.

She didn't expect to see him there, as the Mystery Shack just closed, but the redhead also didn't expect to see a tent made out of white sheets and various pillows in between the television and the chair.

The cashier raised an eyebrow at the weird pillow fort in the living room, but she quickly deduced that of all people to do something of this nature, it was most likely Mabel. She walked up to the pillow fort, her mud-stained boots barely making a sound on the carpeted floor, stopping right next to the tent and crouching down.

"Hey Mabes, everything alright under there?" Wendy asked, expecting a sound of glee and the fort to come down as she got a face full of a sweater-coated hug, but the sound she heard was not quite what she was expecting.


	2. Chapter 2

The mystery hunter sighed, sitting on his bed, watching the sunset through the window of his and his twin's room in the Mystery Shack. An old dusty tome laid open beside him; a blacklight resting on the right page, shining onto the left.

He looked at the pages the journal was left on, one of his own which described himself. "Meet your new author!", the book read. Right under the headline was a self-portrait, which the artist thought was a fitting image for his adventurous personality.

His eyes moved to the other page, turning off the blacklight as he skimmed the biography written on it.

NAME: Dipper Pines

AGE: 12 (But I'll be 13 by the end of the summer!)

HOMETOWN: Piedmont, California (Nice place! Very boring.)

INTERESTS: Video games. the paranorm-

His reading was abruptly ended by the sound of the room's door opening. Dipper looked up to see his sister, Mabel, walk into the room with her braces-filled smile. He barely looked back down at the journal only to look right back up at two other figures entering the room.

A big hulking Grenda and a smaller, less hulking Candy, Mabel's best friends here in Gravity Falls, followed suit behind the sweater-wearing twin.

"Sup, bro-bro?" Mabel said to the mystery hunter, giving him a loving punch to the shoulder. He gave a soft giggle as he rubbed his shoulder, closing the journal that laid next to him, nonchalantly sliding it behind him as to hide it from the prying eyes of Mabel's friends.

"Oh nothing, just reading some stuff! Are you and Grenda and Candy just hanging out or?" Dipper trailed off, hoping Mabel wouldn't say-

"Sleepover!" Mabel said with a burst of joy, "We planned it like 20 seconds ago, but sleepover!"

"Sleep-o-ver! Sleep-o-ver!", the three girls chanted as Dipper rolled his eyes. He was hoping to have a night of studying the journal, having only recently discovered the invisible ink messages written in it.

He grabbed the journal and his own seperate notebook and a couple pens and stuffed them into his backpack, giving his sister and her friends a smile and wave, not wanting to bother their fun and especially not wanting to have to partake in their night of frivolity.

Dipper walked down the staircase leading to the ground floor of the Mystery Shack, walking into the living room and sitting down in the big yellow chair across from the TV. He sat his backpack down on the floor in front of the cushioned seat, getting comfy before pulling out his studying materials.

Suddenly a gravelly voice spoke up, "Don't stay in that chair too long, kid, closing time is almost here." Dipper jumped, letting out a startled "aahh!" his noodle arms flailing a bit from the shock, looking over to see his great uncle, Grunkle Stan, in his suit, an eyepatch over one eye and a fez ontop of his head.

The grizzled older man laughed at Dipper's shock, "How is it that you can be around dinosaurs and fight a horde of zombies and be alright, but you get scared from that?", the Mystery Shack owner said, guffawing between some words.

He kept cackling to himself as he walked off and into the museum, greeting some nearby tourists, asking if they want a "complimentary tour for free with purchase of a tour!"

Dipper groaned, sliding down into the chair. He needed some peace and quiet to study the journal in depth. He went over his options: go back to his and Mabel's room and ford the sleepover, stay in the living room and hope Stan doesn't bother him too much, or...

He spotted a nearby closest, knowing all that was in it was linens. His mind quickly hatched an idea, but he giggled at it, dismissing it almost immediately. "That's too childish for me," Dipper thought to himself.

He went over other options, from the woods, to somewhere in town, to the attic, which he thought was his best choice. The mystery hunter quickly got out of the yellow chair, hopping to his feet and grabbing his backpack.

He quickly stopped in his tracks as he remembered what his Grunkle Stan said to him just moments ago about a "zombie horde," recalling what happened a few days ago and how trashed the attic still was as that was the only room anyone at the Mystery Shack hadn't cleaned yet.

He turned around, looking back at the closet and let out a sigh, dropping his backpack back down on the carpet and opening the closet door. He quickly grabbed a couple white sheets and a few pillows sitting in the bottom of the closet, setting everything down in the middle of the living room.

He quickly got to work, stacking pillows and draping sheets over them, using some pillows to hold the corners of the sheets down, a makeshift curtain on the side of the fort as an entrance to the "Garrison of Weirdology", as Dipper called it in his head.

He stood back, looking at his handiwork with a smile, quickly grabbing his backpack and huddling into the pillow fort. He was quite pleased, even though he thought this was a bit immature for himself, Dipper enjoyed the peace the linens brought.

An hour felt like minutes to the mystery hunter totally engrossed in the journal. Every once and a while he clicked on the purple blacklight, writing down the invisible ink's message into his own notebook, intruiged by the knowledge the messages gave him.

The brunette chewed on the end of his pen as he went over various pieces of informations, trying to make any new connections to who the author of the mysterious journal might be, when suddenly, a certain redhead's voice came from right behind him, "Hey Mabes, everything alright under there?"


	3. Chapter 3

Dipper jumped again, even more frightened this time. His body reacted by standing onto his feet, a sheet coming with him as he stood and his voice gave out one of the least masculine screams it's ever created.

He blushed under the sheet, glad that his secret crush couldn't see him at the moment, but he knew he would have to show that it wasn't his sister under the sheet, but himself, complete with sweatiness and dorkiness.

Wendy giggled quietly, hoping she didn't scare the boy-crazy Mabel too much.

"Sorry dude, didn't think I'd scare ya like that!" The redhead said, reaching out for the sheet, giving it a tug.

Dipper didn't respond, his mind trying to figure out some way out of this that didn't end in embarrassment. Before his brain could finish thinking, the sheet was being pulled off of him. He blushed even more as he was now suddenly face to face with one of the most beautiful girls he's ever met, if not the most beautiful.

He felt his palms sweating, his arms starting to itch, grabbing at one and rubbing it as he nonchalantly laughed.

"H-Hey Wendy! Funny seeing you here! Heheh..." the brunette said, looking up at the ginger knelt down in front of him. He expected to see her lose herself in a fit of laughter, rolling over the floor at the boy's immature pillow fort and nerdy journal studying, but was a bit shocked when she gave him a warm smile.

Wendy's eyes widened a bit as she pulled down the sheet, realizing she was talking to the wrong twin! She quickly looked down at the pillows and sheets on the floor, followed by the open books in the middle of them.

Her eyes returned to a blushing Dipper, who was trying his hardest to hide any sense of embarrassment. She gave him a comforting smile, reaching her hand out and placing it on the boy's shoulder, "Dude, it's alright, I didn't scare you that bad, did I?"

Dipper's shock only grew as now his secret crush gave his shoulder a pat and a squeeze, unable to stop his cheeks from blushing even though the embarrassment was going away.

"N-No, I-I'm fine, Wendy! J-Just uh, doing some reading and uh, yeah! Reading!" Dipper replied quickly, reaching down to pick up the journal and his notebook, starting to put them back into his backpack.

Wendy giggled to herself again, Dipper's behavior being all to cute for her. She sat down in front of the pillow fort, looking it over. She was quite surprised by how well built it was for a structure made out of pure fabric and cotton.

"Dude, this fort is pretty cool! You build all this by yourself or did Mabel help?", Wendy asked.

"Oh! Uh, I built it myself. I know it's like, not a "grown-up" thing to do but," Dipper replied, sighing. "It's just I wanted to study some stuff today and Mabel has her friends over for a sleepover and Grunkle Stan made it clear he wanted to use his chair today. I just needed a quiet place and this is all I could think of right now..."

Wendy chuckled at her friend's anxious reasoning, letting him finish before replying. "Relax man, I think it's an awesome idea actually. I mean everyone likes pillow forts, right? Gives ya this sweet serene and calm sense, kinda like the woods at dusk!"

The brunette boy could easily relate to the redhead's example, his imagination going right back to one of the many times this summer, either in a calm clearing, next to a relaxing stream, or even up on the roof of the Mystery Shack at feeling the cooler air and seeing shades of blue, red, and orange in the sky. Dipper could only grin as he realized his secret crush was one-hundred percent correct with her analogy, "Y-Yeah, it kinda does! I totally lost track of time, it was so peaceful."

Wendy patted a pillow that had fallen from one of the fort walls, "Well, you still got a couple hours before Stan's going to need the entire room to himself to watch reruns of Cash Wheel! C'mon, I'll help you rebuild."

She kicked off her boots, gathering the fallen pillows that were strewn about the living room floor, handing about half of them to Dipper, watching his building process, following along with him.

Dipper nodded, watching his secret crush pick up the remains of the breached wall of the pillow garrison, picking up a few disheveled sheets himself. He took the pillows the redhead gave him, getting lost in her lush green eyes for what seemed like hours. He had always liked Wendy's eyes, but had never before found himself starting into them like this.

They were beautiful, a deep emerald green; there was so much to see in those finite irises, especially as they shimmered as the ginger looked right back into Dipper's own coffee brown eyes. After what, in actuality, was only a couple seconds, the brunette felt his cheeks warming up once more, quickly turning around to hide his blushing face, returning to the rebuilding process.

Wendy could only smile from the adorableness of the boy. She was quite aware of Dipper's crush on her, from his daily flushed cheeks to his obvious obsessive whispers he thought he was saying out of earshot. Honestly, she didn't mind it. She was already really close with the little guy, and at his age he thought it was only natural. She didn't want to say anything about it to him though. She really dug this little dude and was worried she might lose one of her closest friends if she did.

"Besides, I'm not head over heels for him," Wendy thought to herself, "And I think I'd know if I was, he's not the only one with hormones raging!" She giggled and shook her head a little, bringing herself out of her thoughts. She looked back at the pillow fort, which was now completely rebuilt, Dipper standing right in front of it, a hand on his chin as he double checked his work.

"Awesome work, dude! I'd say it's even better than the first time, not even a Mabel-sized wrecking ball could topple it!" Wendy exclaimed.

Dipper turned around, a bright grin on his face as he rubbed the back of his neck, taking a bit of pride in the linen garrison.

"You really think so? You ever seen my sis after a couple shots of Mabel juice? I don't think Pillow Fort Knox could withstand that amount of energy!" Dipper said with a laugh, which Wendy cheerfully returned.

"I don't think I've ever seen Mabel that crazy, but I think I might want to!" Wendy replied, her laughter turning into soft giggles. "Mind if I take a peek inside, Dip?" The redhead asked, pointing a thumb to the entrance of the sheet-covered stronghold.

"Uhm, sure!" The brunette responded, watching Wendy pop her head into the fort.

"Dude, this is pretty sick, honestly. I wish I had enough pillows at home to do this." The redhead expressed. She was about to pull her head back out when she had the sudden urge to sit completely in the pillow fort, giving it the good ole teenager "what the heck" and huddling herself completely into the circle of pillow, sitting cross legged, the outline of her trapper hat visible in one of the sheets as it slightly raised from her height.

Dipper looked on with a little bit of surprise. When Wendy said "take a peek," he didn't think she would go all the way into the "Garrison of Weirdology!" He shuffled his feet along the carpet, unsure how to go about this situation.

"Dipper, you coming in or did ya build this just to look at it?" Wendy teasingly asked the boy.

"O-Oh, um, s-s-sure!" Dipper's brain was going a little bonkers, not to mention his sweaty palms and itchy everything. He was going to be in a closed space, a very small closed space, with Wendy, the person he could barely get his thoughts off of. He walked up to the curtain-esque entrance to the pillow fort, taking a deep breath before huddling in himself.

The next thing he knew he was sitting directly across to his secret crush, their knees touching as they both sat cross legged, Dipper trying his best not to fidget too much. They sat in silence for a couple seconds, Wendy one-hundred percent enjoying the naturally serene nature of the soft, cool linens surrounding them.

"Man, I haven't been in one of these in so long, it's, like, super peaceful in here, like everything on the outside of the world just disappears and you can just be, y'know, _you_ in here..." Wendy said, breaking the silence. She looked down at the brunette boy with a happy smile, who was blushing a little just from the intimacy of sharing this quiet place.

Dipper's mind was racing even faster than before he got into the pillow fort, Wendy's words were spinning in his exceptionally smart brain. An internal struggle was going on inside him, causing the butterflies in his stomach to flutter more than usual around the redhead.

She was right, this was a peaceful place, and she was totally right, you _can_ be you in a place like this. He looked into the redhead's eyes again, her happy nature giving him the confidence to finally ask her something he's been meaning to since that fateful day at the Dusk2Dawn.

He took another deep breath, "Wendy, there's something I've been meaning to tell you about for a while now..." Dipper started.

The teenager looked down at him with a slight grin, "Hmm? What's on your mind, Dip?" Wendy asked, albeit pretty sure she knew the answer to her question.

Dipper couldn't control his fidgeting, his knees bumping against Wendy's more than they already were every couple of seconds, his blushing cheeks getting pinker by the second, until he finally took a third deep breath...

"I've got a, um, I-I've got a... A secret..." The boy gulped, getting the rest of his sentence out in one big swoop, "JOURNAL! I've got a secret journal!"


	4. Chapter 4

Dipper could only mentally sigh. He thought this was it, he was going to tell Wendy how he really felt about her. In a sudden burst of anxiety, the boy blurted out about the journal he found earlier in the summer.

Wendy was a a bit taken aback from Dipper's sudden jolt of energy as he revealed his "secret." She watched as the mystery hunter reached into his back, pulling out an old leather bound journal with a six-fingered emblem, adorned with the number "3", on the front. The redhead recalled seeing this tome a couple times in the past, usually with Dipper's nose buried in it.

"Oh yeah, you read something about ghosts in that back at that old convenience store, right?" Wendy asked, her thoughts going back to that night where her and the rest of the teens, including the non-teen twins, went to the abandoned Dusk2Dawn.

She also remembered the two specters that resided there, and what they did to her friends, but she _very_ vividly remembered what Dipper did to save all of their hides, smiling a slight grin of humor and gratitude.

Dipper nodded, opening the journal and flipping through a few pages, showing off the entries and drawings in the book, "Yeah, I found a couple days after Mabel and I arrived here. It's full of infomation about all the weird stuff that happens here in Gravity Falls! It's helped me out on almost every mystery hunt I go on." Dipper explained.

Wendy reached her hand forward, waiting for the brunette to offer it to her, which he did, albeit a bit reluctantly. She flipped through a couple more pages, astonished by all the creatures and devices she saw in the journal.

"Whoa dude, the Hide-Behind? I remember my dad talking about something like that once, I think it's the only time I ever saw him look even a little bit scared!" The redhead exclaimed, her fingers still flipping through more and more pages, eventually getting towards the latter half of the journal, where the text suddenly gets a bit more messy and has a blue tint.

"Oh yeah, it's an old lumberjack legend! I went looking for it once, but I honestly think it's the only thing in there that isn't real, I didn't find a single trace of it!" Dipper mentioned, "Hey, um, promise you won't tell anyone about this? Stan and Mabel already know about it and I think Soos has seen it, but he's never asked so I don't know for sure. I just know that if this falls into the wrong hands, it could be devastating."

Wendy was reading through an entry in the part of the journal she quickly found out was Dipper's catalog of his own adventures. She was skimming through a section about Gideon Gleeful, the child psychic that tried to destroy the town a week or two ago, when she heard the boy's much more serious tone.

"Don't worry, dude. Any secret you tell me is safe!" The ginger affirmed, shooting Dipper a comforting smile before returning her gaze to the next page of the journal.

Dipper let out a sigh of relief. Even though he didn't tell Wendy the secret he wanted to tell her, he did still reveal a secret. While not number one on his mental "Things to Tell Wendy About" list, it was pretty high up there, and now that she knew, it was a bit of pressure off of his chest.

The boy looked back up at the redhead, hoping to look at her lovely green eyes again, adorning his lips with a grin, but found that she was engrossed in a passage in the journal.

Wendy read and re-read the page, an entry about herself. Her eyes went from the text, to the drawing of herself, which she thought was charming, back to the text. She could only smile at Dipper's entry.

"The coolest person in town, huh?" The ginger asked, looking back up at a patient Dipper. He was about to respong with a "wha?" when he looked down at the journal, quickly reacting by trying to cover the page on the Corduroy, who let him take the book right back.

"That's, um, it's just ah, I wrote it for..." Dipper stammered, trying to create a perfect phrase to not embarrass himself even more than he already has in one day and to not anger his secret crush sitting in front of him.

"Chill dude, no worries! I think it's super sweet~" Wendy assured her favorite dork.

"Wh-? Y-You do? I mean, it's so weird and cheesy..."

"Man, there's a ton of weird things in this town, and in that same book! And it's not cheesy, honestly, it's awesome you think I'm that cool, dude." The redhead said, the slightest hint of pink warming up her cheeks, her eyes looking away from the boy in front of her.

Dipper listened as he closed the journal, stuffing it back into his backpack. He was super flattered by Wendy's reassurance. He found himself staring at her again. Thankfully, she didn't seem to notice, or mind, that he was.

He couldn't focus on one specific thing this time, he was staring at her as a whole. She looked amazing, even in the slightly darker light under the sheets of the pillow fort. Her hair had fallen partially over her shoulders, fiery auburn red. Her smile was inviting and gave Dipper a feeling of happy anxiety and calmness at the same time.

Her freckles adorning her face topped her tomboyish nature off with a perfect amount of adorable cuteness. The boy couldn't stop his cheeks from flustering again, his brain returning from Wendyland back to Gravity Falls, trying to think of some way to keep the conversation going between them.

Wendy's gaze returned to the brunette. She wasn't kidding when she said his journal entry for her was sweet and that he was her favorite dork. The redhead sat in silence with the boy, the pillow fort's naturally calm and serene nature making every second in it enjoyable, no matter what the situation was.

Wendy would sit here with Dipper for hours on end if she could, just enjoying his unkempt brown hair, his sweet smile, and just the fact that she knew he cared for her.

Hug. It was hug time, Wendy could tell. She was beginning to reach out to embrace the brunette before her, who was leaning forward to receive it, almost reading her mind, when...

"Idunno who's in there or why, but Cash Wheel is on in 5 minutes and you're going to be my footrest if you don't move!" A sudden grizzled voice said, making the two pillow forters sit back up, their blushing brightening, eyes slightly looking away from each other, Dipper rubbing one of his arms as Wendy did the same to the back of her neck.

Wendy came out of the fort first, much to the surprise of Stan, who was waiting for the linen building to be removed from his living room floor. Dipper came out right after, to which the stubbly con artist almost spat out his swig of Pitt Cola.

"...Not gonna ask, I'm gonna go get some grub from the kitchen, this pillow monstrosity better be gone by the time I'm back!" Stan said as he turned and left the living room. Wendy and Dipper looked at each other with a mutual grin, working together to quickly fold all the sheets and stack the pillows nicely in the nearby closet. They gave each other a quick high-five and walked out of the living space, towards the exit of the gift shop.

"Thanks for helping me, Wendy. And for talking too." Dipper said as they reached the closed door at the end of the shop.

"No problemo, dude! We should build another one of those sometime, I feel, like, ten times better after sitting in there with you!" Wendy replied, opening the exit door and walking out, Dipper following right beside her.

"A-Another one? Yeah! Sure! Just um, don't tell your friends or anyone, trying to keep the "Dr. Funtimes" title!"

"And risk embarrassing myself too? No way, dorko. Your secret place is my secret place now, too!" Wendy said, giving Dipper a big thumbs-up, "How about you bring some of those sheets and pillows for the next movie night, dude?"

"U-Um, movie night? Y-Yeah! Sure, th-that sounds great!" Dipper replied, a bit flabbergasted. He wasn't expecting to want to build a pillow fort again so soon, but the idea grew on him the few seconds he thought about it, returning the redhead's thumbs-up with one of his own, which they turned into a fist bump.

Wendy reached up to Dipper's trucker hat, giving it a wiggle to purposefully dishevel his already unkempt hair, making the brunette laugh in the process.

"Catch ya later, dude!" She said, walking off into the woods.

"Later Wendy!" Dipper said back to her, watching her walk off into the pine trees before turning around himself and walking into the Shack.

"Movie night," He thought to himself, "Looking forward to it!"


	5. Chapter 5

Dipper walked past the sounds of Stan laughing and arguing at the contestants on Cash Wheel and walked up the staircase to his and Mabel's room. He pressed his ear up to the door, relieved when he didn't hear the sounds of a sugar-and-boy-crazed sleepover in session.

He carefully opened the door, just in case he was walking into a rare lull in the girls' pseudo-party. The brunette let out a figurative sigh of relief as the only girl in the room was Mabel, laying on her bed with Waddles cuddled up next to her.

His eyes scanned the room as he stepped in; Pitt cola cans, dashes of powdery makeup, and a telephone-based dating board game all sat on the floor. Even though Dipper was glad to not have to experience the three's sleepover, he felt a little bad for Mabel being all alone.

"Hey sis, you doing alright?" The mystery hunter asked, sitting down on his bed across from Mabel's.

"Oh, hey bro. Yeah, I'm fine! Grenda got a bit too heated over her dream boy in a game of Calling All Boys, and _kinda_ threw the phone into a wall." Mabel said, pointing her thumb to a large hole right below the window in their room, which Dipper looked out of to see a broken phone laying in the yard surrounding the Mystery Shack.

"And Candy went to go help her calm down, and they were both pretty tired anyway, so it's no big dealio bro-bro!" The older twin continued, giving her brother a brace-filled smile.

"Ah, I'm sorry sis, if I knew you were alone, I would have come right back up here!" Dipper assured his twin, kicking off his shoes and pulling the two books from his backpack before tossing it back onto the floor.

"Don't worry about it, there's plenty of more summer to have tons of more sleepovers!" The always ecstatic twin said, "Besides, I came down earlier cause I could have sworn I heard someone calling my name, and then someone screaming higher pitched than I do, so, naturally, I came to see what happened aaaaand..."

Dipper blushed as he remembered the embarrassing incident, especially now that Mabel had seen some part of him and Wendy either rebuilding the pillow fort, or both of them in it.

Mabel giggled at her twin's flustered cheeks, and the bead of sweat forming on his brow, "Good thing you made that tent thingy high enough so Wendy's head didn't totally poke out of it!"

The mystery hunter's blushing cheeks only became redder, which Mabel took note of, making her giggling turn into all out glee and frustrated younger twin grabbed his own pillow, tossing it at his laughing sister, who let out a muffled "oof!" as it hit her, her cackling turning into soft snickers.

"My lips are sealed bro, 'sides, there was no way I was stopping you two from being all cute 'n stuff! Now, Tell, me, _everything_!" The young matchmaker said, almost about to burst with anticipation, curious about how Dipper's impromptu date with Wendy went.

Dipper was going to retort about the cute comment, but decided that Mabel could use a little more fun in her slightly-shorter-than-expected night.

"W-Well, so, I really wanted to study all those invisible ink messages in the journal today, but I couldn't really get any peace and quiet anywhere in the Shack today, so I made a, um, a pillow fort. And I know that sounds really dumb and childish! But it really did help a lot, I copied almost the entirety of the journal's hidden messages in about an hour!" Dipper said, his cheeks still blushing as he retold the events of his day. Mabel watched and listened with open ears, nodding along.

The younger twin continued his story, telling about Wendy scaring him, to rebuilding the fort of linen, to what happened while they were in it, which Mabel particularly enjoyed, to Wendy scheduling another pillow fort to be built on movie night.

"Oh Em GEE!" Mabel squealed, clenching her fists in excitement, flopping back-first onto her bed to fangirl out. When she calmed down, the girl looked over to her brother, who already had the journal back open, finishing his copying of the invisible ink into his own notebook.

"Dipper! You can't be doing that now, you've got to get some sleep for tomorrow!" Mabel exclaimed.

"Huh? What do you mean? Tomorrow's a slow day at the Shack, and I didn't have anything else planned," Dipper replied.

"Bro, tomorrow is movie night, don't you remember freaking out about it a couple days ago?"

Dipper looked over to his calendar, which he had tomorrow's box marked with "MOVIE NIGHT!" in bold letters, arrows pointing to it, and a small stamp-sized picture of Wendy thumb tacked right next to it.

He hopped up out of bed and onto his feet, putting the journal on the table next to his bed, scrambling to the closet full of his clothes. He grabbed a pair of pajamas and opened the door to the bedroom.

"OhmigoshIgottagetsomesleepthanksMabel!" The mystery hunter said practically all in one breath, dashing out of the room down to the bathroom. He took probably the quickest, but still effective, shower of the summer, brushing his teeth right after.

He ran back to his and Mabel's bedroom, closing the door behind him before flopping onto his bed.

Mabel chuckled at her brother's Wendy-crazed energy, turning off the light next to her bed, "Night, bro.~"

"Night, sis," Dipper replied, his energy soon calming down, a smile on his face as he drifted off into sleep.

* * *

Wendy walked through the woods, heading back towards her family's cabin. The cool twilight air made the stroll back to her place even more enjoyable, breathing in the smell of pine trees.

Her mind kept going back to the linen-covered time she spent with Dipper that day, from the mystery hunter showing his secret journal, to the near hug they almost shared.

"Ok, so, crazy journal, weird Gravity Falls stuff, basically Dipper's manual to surviving all those monsters he comes across. Man, that's such a Dipper thing, I honestly shouldn't be shocked about it!", Wendy said to herself out loud, giggling as she continued her walk.

Her thoughts kept returning to her and her favorite dork sitting in the pillow fort together, after Dipper shared the journal with her. She couldn't stop thinking about his coffee-brown eyes, his giggle that filled her with warmth, his hair primed for ruffling, his cheeks that seemed to have a constant pink hue to them whenever he was around her, even those small blue spots near the mystery hunter's lips from his chewing-pens-while-thinking habit.

The redhead's cheeks were starting to match the color of her hair, she couldn't stop thinking about him. She wanted to hug Dipper then, she wanted to hug him now, she wanted to-

THUNK! Wendy let out an "oof!" as she walked into one of the logs holding up her family's cabin, bringing her back down to Gravity Falls. She shook her head, climbing up the small staircase in front of the cabin and walked to the front door, opening it.

The ginger took a peek into the cabin, seeing her family of three brothers and one very large, and manly, dad, watching something wood related on TV. She gave them a wave, which they all returned.

Wendy walked to her room, pulling her trapper hat off and hanging it on a bedpost, flopping on her bed, which let out a couple squeaks as the redhead bounced from the momentum. She couldn't stop thinking about Dipper, her brain playing a constant game of "Six Degrees of Dipper Pines."

"It's not weird that I think about him a decent amount," the ginger thought to herself, "I mean, we do work together and hang out a bunch... But this is... Nah, no way, couldn't be!" Wendy sat up, stretching. Her muscles were sore and achy from the work day and from the walk home, already feeling the warm water of a shower on her.

"Yeah, I could use a shower right about now!" She thought to herself, grabbing a towel on her way to the bathroom. The sound of water falling against a bathtub echoed off the bathroom walls, the steam already making the mirror Wendy was looking at herself in blurry.

She quickly shed her clothes and hopped into the warm water, a sigh of relief coming from her as the water soothed her tired body.

"Ok," Wendy thought to herself, "Reasons I can't like Dipper like that: the age difference for the obvious first reason, the height is a factor too, and what would we do when the summer ends and he goes back to California?" She scrubbed her hair with a strawberry scented shampoo, getting every strand coated in the sweet fragrance.

"Ok then, reasons I _can_ like Dipper like that: who cares about ages? It's just a number if people really care about each other. Then there's the height issue, which is honestly really cute, he's perfect to pick up and hug, but he can hold his own! And he's always been there for me, whether it's weird monsters or ghosts or just someone to hang out with," Wendy thought as she rinsed her hair, scrubbing her body with a quick lather of soap, rinsing herself off once more before turning off the shower, hopping out with a towel around her.

She grabbed her toothbrush and brushed her teeth, her mind going back to the brunette once more, thinking about how amazing he looked in the pillow fort, how much he cared for her, and how much _he_ meant to _her_. What in the world would she do without her dork?

That's when it hit her, _her_ dork. She kept saying the phrase in her head, and the more she said it the more perfect it sounded. Wendy looked up into the mirror, wiping away some of the steam, her eyes wide and her freckled cheeks rosy red.

Her heart raced as she put together all the pieces, expecting one of them to not fit into the puzzle, but everything fit _perfectly_. Dipper was the first thing she thought about when she woke up, he always had her back, and every time he was with her, she felt like she could fly.

"Oh my god," Wendy said out loud, her cheeks getting pinker with every thought about her dork. She opened the bathroom door, walking back to her room. Her thoughts were even more Dipper-filled as she slowly came to terms with her new-found affection.

She slipped on some comfy pajamas and wrapped her hair up in the same towel she had around her, turning on her TV. She watched an episode of Duck-tective, her tiredness making her eyelids heavy.

She yawned as a commercial came onto the TV, perking up as she heard the spooky sound effects and Morris Barloff's voice coming through the speaker.

"Don't miss the spooktacular night of your semi-favorite hair-raising movies, tomorrow night at 8!" Wendy quickly took the towel off of her hair, giving it a quick ruffle to shake out the droplets of water, tossing it into her clothes hamper.

"Oh my god, I totally forgot tomorrow was movie night!" the ginger thought to herself, pulling her comforter over herself and turning off her TV. She looked over to her alarm clock sitting on her bedside table, making sure it was set.

She didn't mind being a little late to work, as usual, but in no way did she want to oversleep and rush before her night with Dipper. Wendy laid in her bed for a couple minutes, the sound of wind blowing in the pine trees outside, a few crickets chirping, moonlight shining through her window onto her bed.

She looked up at the ceiling, her thoughts going right back to Dipper.

"Oh my god. I'm in love with my dork," Wendy said to herself, a happy smile soon on her face as she drifted off into sleep, excited for tomorrow.


	6. Chapter 6

Dipper sat on his bed, his backpack full of supplies for the night next to him, going over a checklist he made to make sure he remembered everything he might need for his anticipated movie night with Wendy. He got a surprisingly decent amount of sleep considering his positive anxiety about the night's entertainment, fully awake and ready for tonight's frivolity.

"Alright, journal, check; phone, check; flashlight, check; extra cans of Pitt cola, check." The brunette said to himself, checking off each box on his list. Mabel was overjoyed about Dipper's linen-covered night of B-grade movies, taking a couple snapshots earlier in the day, posting them in her scrapbook.

"Don't forget to grab some extra pillows, just in case some get lost in her room~," the older twin teased, which Dipper retorted with a stern look to his sister. Mabel giggled, making kissing noises towards her brother.

Dipper closed up his backpack and put his checklist aside, looking up at his twin, "C'mon Mabel, I really want this night with Wendy to be awesome! I don't want something bad happening and ruining the mood!"

"Bro, just chillax, you're going to do great! You guys already hang out a lot and movie night isn't anything new! Remember what happened last time you made a plan or a list to have a good night with Wendy?" Mabel replied, smirking at her slightly younger brother.

Dipper easily remembered the party at the Mystery Shack. He made a huge "perfect" plan to have a great night with his secret crush, only to have it get in the way of actually having a great night with her. He sighed and crumpled up the checklist, tossing it into a nearby wastebasket.

Mabel's smirk transformed into a encouraging smile, hopping onto her feet and walking over to her brother, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Seriously, you're going to do awesome! You got this, bro-bro!", the hyper twin assured Dipper, who looked up at his sister with his own hopeful smile. He wrapped his noodle arms around Mabel, giving her a thankful, warm hug.

"Thanks, sis. You're the best twin a guy could ask for," the mystery hunter said, hugging Mabel right back.

"You know it, bro-bro~"

Dipper grabbed his backpack after finishing their sincere sibling hug, closing it and throwing it onto his shoulders. He gave Mabel a wave, walking out of their room and down the staircase to the ground floor of the Mystery Shack.

He peeked into the living room, glad when he saw it was free of any signs of Grunkle Stan, the TV turned off and the old mustard-yellow chair empty, not even an impression of someone sitting in it. He tiptoed through the living room, the soft carpet under his feet making this quite easy to do.

He quickly reached the linen closet, opening it, reaching in and grabbing a couple sheets and pillows. He didn't grab as much as he used to build the original pillow fort, hoping Wendy had some she could add to his collection at her place. He carried the cache of linens under one arm, moving quickly through the closed gift shop.

Dipper was thankful the work day was slow, Stan closing early so he and Wendy could get ready for their evening. He opened the gift shop's door, walking through it and closing it softly. The mystery hunter took a deep breath of fresh, pine-tree-scented air.

The sun was already setting, part way past the horizon and shimmering through the trees. He reached into his pocket, pulling out the pair of keys for the Shack's golf cart, having asked for them from Stan earlier in the day. He sat down in the cart, putting the key in the ignition and turning it on, the electrical engine quickly whirring to life. Dipper took another deep breath, putting his foot steadily on the acceleration, starting his short drive to the Corduroy's cabin.

The brunette's anxious trembling only grew as he drove closer and closer to Wendy's place, having to purposefully make himself slow down as his nervousness made him accelerate faster. He looked up at the sky, shades of orange, pink, red, and purple filled it, the sun's setting making it look like a kaleidoscope of calming colors.

His drive came to an end in no time, parking and turning off the golf cart in front of the log cabin. He hopped onto his feet, grabbing the backpack straps around his shoulders, taking one more deep breath in and out, walking up the small staircase to the cabin's porch and knocking on the door.

* * *

Wendy woke up a bit late, but still with plenty of time to get ready for her and Dipper's movie night. She took a quick shower, and went to work, her mind lost in the thoughts of her dork and their evening together. Thankfully, work was slow and Stan told her she could go home early, which she happily obliged to.

She took a brisk walk back home, texting a couple of friends to pass the time before getting ready for the movie marathon. She dialed her favorite of Gravity Falls' pizza places, Eye On The Slice, ordering an extra large Pepperoni pizza to her place, with two two liters of Pitt cola to wash it all down with.

The redhead didn't forget the plan to make another pillow fort, grinning, her cheeks getting a little warm at the thought of being that close to Dipper again. She looked at her bed: two pillows, a comforter, and a sheet that wasn't fitted to her mattress.

She hopped onto her feet, needing plenty more linens than that, and walked out of her room to the cabin's linen closet, which was filled with nothing but plaid flannel pillows and sheets, which she rolled her eyes at, grinning to herself. She grabbed a couple of pillows and a sheet or two, positive that her dork would bring some extras so the pillow fort wouldn't be so lumberjack-themed.

Wendy took the flannel linens back to her room, sitting them on her bed. In no time, she heard the door knock, opening it and greeting the pizza delivery person, paying for the food and tipping them a little extra with a cheerful "Thanks!" She took the pizza and drinks back to her room, setting them down on the best table, the floor, and laying back onto the big pile of flannel pillows and sheets.

The ginger let out a tranquil sigh, a soft smile on her face as she was finally ready, just awaiting her dork's arrival. She closed her eyes, enjoying the sounds of birds chirping outside, a gentle breeze blowing the pine trees, relaxing until Dipper arrived.

In no time, she heard another knock at the front door, hopping back onto her feet. Wendy walked up to the door, taking a deep breath in and out and opening it with an affectionate smile.

Dipper felt the butterflies fluttering in his stomach as the door to the Corduroy cabin opened, gripping onto his backpack straps tighter. He was greeted by a grinning redhead, his cheeks turning a soft shade of pink as his figurative butterflies turned into a swarm.

"Hey dude! Glad to see you, man! The drive over here go ok?" Wendy welcomed her anticipated guest, moving to the side of the doorway, inviting the brunette into her place.

"H-Hey Wendy! It's g-great to see you too! And yeah, a little bumpy, b-but what drive on that cart isn't?" Dipper said, a joyful surge of anxiety going through him, stepping into the cabin.

"Need some help with all those pillows, Dip?" The redhead asked her cohort, closing and locking the front door.

"O-Oh! N-No, I got 'em! I thought I'd b-bring some extras, just in case." The brunette replied, trying his hardest to hide his excitement and nervousness for the soon-to-be-built pillow fort and for sharing it with Wendy.

Wendy waved Dipper along, leading him through the Corduroy cabin to her room, "I had some here, but they were all flannel. I was pretty confident and smart dude like you would bring some extra, so it wouldn't be all lumberjacked out!"

Dipper couldn't help but smile from the complement, following the ginger to her room. Wendy opened the door, walking into her room first, Dipper following right behind. The smell of fresh, hot pizza filled his nose, making his mouth water.

His eyes scanned the room, Wendy's bed was covered in a pile of flannel linens and pillows, the soft sounds of a Duck-tective rerun coming from the TV across from it. A window at the other end of the room casted shadows of the tops of pine trees onto the redhead's bed, the sun barely peeking above the horizon, the moon becoming visible in the twilight sky.

Wendy started clearing off her bed, already having picked a spot on it for the pillow fort, "Dude, I'm so stoked for this movie night, I've been looking forward to it since I left work yesterday!", the ginger said.

"Oh, m-me too! I'm always excited for these movie marathons!" Dipper replied, sliding his backpack off, sitting it with the rest of the flannel pillows on Wendy's bed.

Wendy looked down at herself, her stomach making a very loud gurgle, laughing right after it calmed down, sitting down on the floor next to the foot of her bed, "How's about we chow down first, don't want this pizza to get cold! Man, I'm starved."

Dipper nodded, sitting across from the redhead, who quickly opened the first pizza box, a stronger smell of warm, delicious pizza hitting them. They couldn't wait, both the ginger and brunette's hands reaching to the pie and each grabbing a slice for themselves.

Within seconds both slices were gone, Wendy poured both of them a red plastic cup of Pitt cola, handing one to Dipper. She held her's up for a toast, which Dipper obliged, "clinking" their cups together, both of them taking sips of the fizzy, sweet beverage.

A mutual "aah" of refreshment filled the teenager's room, followed by a simultaneous "BURP!" The two cohorts looked at each other for a couple seconds, quickly bursting into laughter, the mood officially lightening up.

The two ate the box of pizza easily, finishing off the two liter of Pitt cola with it, chatting about the upcoming movie marathon and the rather slow day at the Mystery Shack.

"Hey, can I use your bathroom real quick?" Dipper asked, the Pitt cola going through him a bit quickly.

"Sure, dude. First door on the right!" Wendy said, closing the pizza box, following her dork out her room, their paths breaking off as he went to the restroom, the redhead walking to the kitchen to dispose of the now empty box.

Dipper felt ten times more relaxed than earlier, not only from the food and talking, but from his now empty bladder. He looked at himself in the mirror, reaching into his pocket and popping a quick mint, chomping onto it to break the refreshing candy, a shiver going through him from the intensity of the mint flavor.

The mystery hunter walked back into Wendy's room, seeing his secret crush starting to knoll out the supplies for the pillow fort into a stack of folded sheets and a pile of pillows. He walked up, helping the redhead with her bit of organizing.

"I thought we could build it on my bed, right at the foot. You think it'll work, Dip?" Wendy said, looking down at her dork with a cheerful smile.

"It'll totally work! Perfect distance from the TV too so it's like a little private theater." Dipper responded, picking up a couple pillows and starting to build the base, already having an idea of how to go about building the fort.

"Dude, my thoughts exactly! Like, exact! You haven't found any mind-reading stuff in the woods, have you?" The redhead joked, picking up a big stack of pillows, holding them close for Dipper's easy access.

Dipper chuckled, "No, but there's a lot in Gravity Falls that isn't in the journal! You never know what's waiting to be discovered." He quickly had the base of the pillow fort build on Wendy's bed, making it a bit bigger than the previous one.

The mystery hunter quickly worked, building up the linen walls of the makeshift garrison, Wendy handing him pillow after pillow. In only a couple minutes, Dipper had nearly finished the fort, only needing to toss some sheets over it.

"I got it!" Wendy exclaimed, throwing one of the Mystery Shack's sheets over the pillow structure, covering it, but leaving a decently sized part facing the TV. Dipper put some of Wendy's flannel pillows down on the ends of the sheet to hold it down, standing back and taking a look at their completed pillow fort.

"Hopefully I made it taller than before, d-don't want you uncomfortable or missing out on the marathon or anything!" Dipper said.

Wendy giggled and ruffled the mystery hunter's hair via moving his trucker hat around on his head, "It's perfect, man! Let's get up in there, the first movie is about to start!"

Dipper smiled with glee, but he could feel his butterflies starting to flutter again, "U-Um, s-sure! D-Don't want to miss anything!"

Wendy didn't waste much time, grabbing the remote for the TV, carefully backing herself into the pillow fort, amazed by how sturdy and by how spacious, yet close it all felt. There was plenty of head, arm, and leg room, although her extended legs made her shins and feet poke out, yet it still had that pillow fort feeling of privacy and serenity.

Dipper quickly got his flashlight out of his backpack, just in case. He walked to the open entrance of the linen garrison, crawling in headfirst and sitting next to his secret crush. Stuffing the flashlight into the sturdy pillow wall, he dared not look up at the redhead. He could feel his face getting warmer by the second, not to mention his palms getting sweaty and his noodle arms getting itchy.

Wendy could tell her dork was a bit anxious, giving him a soft nudge, "You alright, dude? You're a bit tense."

"H-Huh? O-Oh! I'm fine, i-it's just the caffeine from the soda k-kicking in!" Dipper replied, which was partially true, although it was mostly the fact that he was this close to his secret crush again. He tried calming himself down, finally letting out a figurative sigh of relief as the movie marathon started.

The sounds of a B-grade horror movie came from the TV, Wendy grabbing the remote and turning the volume up, cheering jubilantly.

"Woohoo! Let's get this night started!" The redhead said, pumping her fist into the sheet above her head. She smiled pleasantly as she watched the TV, the first movie, "Space Uprising," starting. The both of them knew this was going to be a good collection of B-grade movies, with the first shot having the boom mic visible at the top of the screen, making them laugh heartily.

Dipper soon calmed down, the mood becoming much more relaxing again. He watched the first movie, laughing and giggling at almost every shot, Wendy doing the same. In what seemed like a half an hour, the nearly two hour movie was done, the two marathoners almost in tears from laughter.

"I can't believe this is supposed to be a serious movie! That was hilarious!" Wendy exclaimed, wiping a tear of joy from her eye.

"Did you see when one of the actors died and then showed up in the next shot? That's still making me laugh!" Dipper chuckled, patting his thigh as he giggled.

"Oh my god, that was too much, man. This night's already freaking awesome! Thanks for coming over and stuff, Dip." The ginger said, giving her dork a playful punch to his shoulder.

The mystery hunter rubbed the back of his neck, "N-No problem, Wendy! Glad to be here with you!"

Wendy felt a surge of happiness go through her, her cheeks quickly blushing a soft pink, going away soon after as she settled in for the next movie, Dipper doing the same.

For the next couple hours the two sat in the pillow fort; watching, snickering, and commenting on each movie. For the both of them, it was a purely enjoyable evening. They slowly drank through the other two liter, finishing it by the end of the second film.

In the commercial break before the next reel, the redhead got up to use the bathroom. Dipper pulled his phone out in her absence. Mabel had sent him some encouraging, and embarrassing, texts.

He read through them, rolling his eyes and chuckling at each of them, sending her a text back that read, "having a great time, thanks for earlier, sis!" He deposited his phone back into his shorts pocket, using the rest of his alone time to fully take in the feeling of the pillow fort.

He grabbed the nearby remote and turned the TV down to the point where it was still understandable, but not bothersome. He let out a peaceful sigh, the moonlight shining through the thin sheet covering the fort.

The same feeling of peace and quiet came back, a natural pleased smile on his face. He could sit there for hours, just like last time, enjoying the calmness the linens gave him.

Wendy looked at herself in the mirror, trying to figure out her thoughts. Throughout the entire second movie she was trying to build up the courage to make some kind of move with Dipper. By the halfway point of the movie, all she could think about was hugging him and not letting go.

She wanted to watch every bad movie with him, listen to his theories of Gravity Falls, to go on every weird adventure with him. She wanted to kiss him. The redhead's eyes widened as she thought that last phrase.

"Look at you, dude, you've fallen for Dipper in less than a day!" Wendy thought to herself, giggling. "You're just as bad as him when it comes to getting all anxious!" She turned on the water to the sink right below her, grabbing some cool water and splashing it on her face, looking back up into the mirror.

"You can do this, Wendy. You're a Corduroy! Your dork isn't leaving until he knows how you feel!" The redhead said outloud to herself, making sure not to say it too loud, not wanting Dipper to overhear her. She grabbed a towel and patted her face dry, hanging it back up before leaving the bathroom and returning to her own room.

Dipper didn't even notice Wendy come back into the room, surprised to see her backing back into the pillow fort. He had calmed down quite a lot just being alone in the linen garrison, but hadn't lost any energy, his attention being brought back to his returning secret crush.

"Hey dude, I didn't miss the next movie did I?" Wendy asked, crossing her legs as she sat comfortably in the serene fort.

"Perfect timing! It just started, "Monas: Palms of Destiny," it's called. Looks like it's the worst one yet!" Dipper replied, his palms not sweaty, his arms feeling normal.

"Sweet~" said the ginger, grabbing her phone. She decided it was now or never, putting on a song ( watch?v=atVwNb21vW8 ) and turning the volume up a bit, sitting her phone next to her. She let the first couple seconds of the song play, scooting a bit closer to the brunette sitting next to her, feeling their elbows touch.

Dipper looked up at the moonlight shining on the sheet, the song playing making the sense of calmness and serenity increase. He felt Wendy's elbow brush against his, almost instinctively leaning against her, resting his head on her shoulder. He let out a content and blissful sigh, thinking to himself, "I love this..."

"Me too, Dip." Wendy replied, to which her dork eeped in surprise.

"D-Did I say that outloud?" Dipper asked, sitting back up straight, his cheeks turning red.

Wendy nodded, which Dipper tried apologizing about, stammering and tripping over his words. Wendy just smiled at her anxious dork, the urge to hug him and hold him close coming over her again.

But this time, she gave in. She wrapped one arm around the brunette, squeezing him close against her side, smiling peacefully down at him.

"W-W-W-Wendy?" Dipper stammered, looking up at the redhead with wide eyes, taken totally aback by her action.

Wendy looked into Dipper's eyes, finally understanding why he stared into hers so much. You can see so much of a person in their eyes, how much they wanted something, how much they cared for something, how they would do anything for that something.

The redhead kept looking into the mystery hunter's surprised eyes, amazed about how deep of a brown they were, while still being a pleasant shade of coffee with cream and sugar. She could feel her cheeks warming up, and well as the urge to be even closer to him coming over her again.

She didn't hold back, as Dipper was starting to stammer a "W" sound again, Wendy wrapped her other arm around her dork, turning her body toward him and giving him the hug both he and her needed and wanted so badly.

Dipper couldn't speak, he didn't know whether it was from shock or because he didn't want anything to ruin this moment. He felt her warmth against him, the soft flannel of her shirt pressing against his neck and cheek, the smell of strawberries coming from Wendy's hair as his head rested in the crook of her neck.

He didn't move, his brain taking in this intense moment. After a few seconds, his arms started to move, wrapping them as far as they could go around his secret crush.

For his whole time since the day at the Dusk2Dawn, Dipper wanted this. He wanted to badly for this exact thing to happen. He tightened his hug around the redhead, his lips turning into one of the most content and tranquil smiles smiles he's ever grinned. This was bliss.

Wendy felt her dork finally hugging her back, and she almost broke down into tears from the feeling of someone she finally realized she needed so much returning her embrace. Her own arms tightened around Dipper's as his did. She was so happy, but her job wasn't done yet. She pulled back from the brunette, smiling as she looked back into his eyes.

"W-Wendy..." Dipper started.

"Shh, before you say anything, I need to get something off my chest." Wendy interrupted, which the mystery hunter replied to with a nod.

"Remember how I said yesterday that a place like this," Wendy motioned to the calming pillow fort surrounding them, "you could be you here. No one to tell you otherwise, a place for just you and anyone you invite in."

Dipper nodded again, his brain going super fast, trying to put together all the theories in his head about what was happening.

"I can be me here, and the me I want to be is, well, w-with you..." Wendy said, her cheeks a warm pink as she told her dork her true feelings for him.

Dipper's heart was racing, his mind having so many questions going through it: "With me? What does she mean? Does she mean what I think she means? Does she mean just friends? Is it confined to pillow forts?"

"Dipper, i-it's been a crazy day for me since yesterday. I thought about it all night last night, and I don't think it's something I can hide. Dipper..." Wendy said, building up one last burst of confidence to get out those last three words.

"I love you."

Dipper's mind exploded into a huge display of fireworks, the only things he was conscious of were his heart racing and Wendy's declaration ringing in his head. For those few seconds, all other thoughts left his brain, his mind totally focusing on the fact that his secret crush just confessed her own secret crush for him.

He finally returned to Gravity Falls, trembling from the adrenaline starting to going through him.

"W-W-W-Wendy, I-I-I-I..." Dipper stammered, not sure where to start.

"Shh, I know, Dip. I've known for a while, ever since that day at the old Dusk2Dawn, which is where I think I started feeling something for you too." Wendy assured the brunette, who was finally starting to calm down.

"Wh-Why didn't you say anything s-sooner?" Dipper asked, not wanting to ruin the moment, but this was something he needed to know.

"I didn't really figure out those feelings until last night, but they're true, real feelings. Since you got here, I've been holding back from just picking you up and hugging you nonstop, dude..." Wendy replied, blushing as she finished her sentence.

The mystery hunter had so many emotions going through him, happiness, excitement, stupor, and bliss, all rolled up into one big burst of feelings. He wanted to say something, he needed to say something, but he couldn't think of any words to sum up what he was feeling, but he did know something that could.

He tightened his arms around Wendy again, blushing a bright strawberry red, leaning in to do something he had only dreamed of. Wendy realized what her dork was doing, her own blushing cheeks matching the brunette's.

They both felt each other's hands grip tight as their lips brushed against each other, both of them kissing the person they cared about more than anyone else. In that moment, everything disappeared. It was just them, Dipper Pines and Wendy Corduroy, in a place of peace and quiet, finally telling each other how they really felt.

The kiss lasted for what felt like an euphoric eternity, the two only pulling back from it to catch their breath.

Wendy pulled her dork into her lap, finally being able to hold him as close as she needed him, giving him another kiss, which Dipper happily returned, resting her forehead against his after.

"W-Wendy... You... are amazing..." Dipper finally managed to say.

Wendy giggled, squeezing her not-so-secret crush, "Pssh, not as much as you do, dork."

Dipper giggled back, his legs and arms wrapped around the redhead, sitting comfortably and blissfully in her lap, staring into her emerald green eyes with a bright smile. The two of them sat like that, purely content and happy with being in each others embrace, happy to finally have the truth out there and that it was totally mutual.

After their adrenaline rushes calmed down, Wendy spun her dork around in her lap, so they both faced the TV, watching the last movie in the marathon, giggling softly at the horrible quality of it.

Their bodies finally caught up with them, feeling drowsy as the last scenes of the movie were playing, Wendy leaning back against the pillow fort wall that was just sturdy enough to hold her weight with her dork leaning back against her. They both started to succumb to sleep, a peaceful grin on each of their faces.

"Wendy?" Dipper said, drowsy.

"Hmm~?" Wendy replied.

"I love you too..." Dipper finally said, which Wendy replied to by squeezing her arms around her dork once more.

Soon they both fell into a blissful, tranquil sleep, drifting off to dream together in their place of peace and quiet.

* * *

 **Happy St. Valentine's Day!**

 **Thanks for reading my first ever fanfiction, here's to many more!**


End file.
